Ghaziabad News: Dev Kumar, a 35-year-old part-time builder, is ready to set out on the most significant journey of his life on the Kanwar Yatra. From Haridwar to his hometown of Dharau in Khurja, he will travel roughly 270 kilometres on foot while carrying his grandmother Saraswati Devi, who is 101 years old, and an equal amount of Ganga water on his shoulders. His priceless cargo will be secured in baskets fastened on either side of a bamboo pole.
Dev Kumar’s Kanwar Yatra Mission with Grandmother and Ganga Water
Dev arrived in Ghaziabad on Friday after departing from Haridwar on July 1. Shiva worshippers make this annual journey to transport Ganga water in containers or cans from Uttarakhand to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and other states. ‘This is my eleventh consecutive Kanwar Yatra, and this time I made the decision to carry my grandmother to Haridwar, Uttarakhand, so she may offer prayers there, on my shoulders. Her seat adds another 6 to 7 kilogrammes to her approximate 48 kilogramme weight. To keep the bamboo pole balanced, I carry her on one shoulder while carrying equal amounts of Ganga water in containers on the other,’ Dev explained.
Dev Kumar Overcomes Challenges on Kanwar Yatra with Grandmother
Dev Kumar must carry a total of roughly 116 pounds. On Friday morning, Dev and his grandmother travelled the remaining 70 km to their village of Dharasu after arriving at the Raj Nagar Extension crossing of the Delhi-Meerut Road. “All along the Kanwar route from Haridwar, people have been very supportive and appreciative of my efforts. I took breaks from walking every 20-25km and from Ghaziabad, I will take a break every 10km and take it a bit easy till Khurja. My grandmother has developed swelling in her legs and needs to rest frequently. The journey is tiring for me, but for her it is daunting at her age,” Dev said. Dev is moving around in a pair of slippers that he just got a month ago. “The slippers provide excellent support. These are what I bought a month ago so they could relax and help me on my quest. We had bad weather and a lot of rain in the middle, but I kept moving forward. I would have brought my grandfather along too, but he passed away a number of years ago,” he remarked.
Kawar Yatra Draws Millions of Devotees to Holy Sites
Hindus travel on the Kawar Yatra, which starts in the month of Shravan, to locations like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Yamunotri, and Gangotri, among others, to collect Ganga water to present to Lord Shiva at their local temples. The majority of pilgrims travel on foot, but some others ride two-wheelers or even drive trucks to get where they’re going. According to Ghaziabad officials, three million Kanwariyas are expected to come through the district this season, up from the predicted two million who did so in 2022. The Delhi-Meerut Road will have detours in place starting on July 4 and lasting until the morning of July 18 according to the Ghaziabad traffic police.
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